My grandmother came to Hawaii around the age of 10. The story that I remember was that she and her mother came from Korea to escape the political environment under their ruler at the time, Syngman Rhee. My great-grandmother made whiskey and kim chee to make ends meet and also had a boarding house for Korean bachelors. My grandmother was a woman before her time....all in all, she had 5 husbands and the person I knew as my grandfather she never even bothered to marry him.
My grandmother had 2 children from her first marriage and my mother was born from her third or fourth marriage. My mother met her real father one day when a man walked up to her while she was walking home from middle school and told her that he was her father.
Running home and crying, my mother then got the facts about her real father. Apparently, my grandmother was already married when she received news that a picture bride from Korea was waiting in Hawaii's immigration lockup for her husband to claim her....however when immigration found out that he was already married they couldn't release the bride otherwise it was grounds for bigamy. The picture bride was ordered by his mother who obviously did not approve of my grandmother. My grandmother agreed to divorce her husband and the price was that he would have to give up my mother. There was to be absolutely no contact with her.
The man my mother knew as her father (but wasn't), was a gambler. He told my mother once that when he was rich he dressed like a bum and when he was poor he dressed to the "nines." I don't know why that story stuck with me over the years.
When my mother met my dad back in the 30's....which is a story in itself that I will relate later.....it was unheard of that a pure Korean would marry outside their race. My grandmother....in order to "save face" bought my mother the biggest diamond engagement ring to wear.
My father was of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. His father was from China and his mother was pure Hawaiian. Bot of his parents died early on and my father was raised by his older sister who raised my dad along with 2 other brothers.
Attending family gatherings was quite uncomfortable because of the diversity.....my uncles married Hawaiian women and my mother's half-sister married an Italian man and half-brother married Koreans (he had more than one wife)....I can honestly say that I have blond hair blue eyed and red hair green eyed relatives on one side and on the other I have Alii-like, in build and stature, relatives on the Hawaiian side. We never seemed to fit in.
Well, when I met the man of my dreams, supposedly.....needless to say....he was a man born in Korea that was adopted by his step father who served in the military while stationed there.....and the family dynamic begins again.
When I told my mother that I was marrying a Korean man....she warned me against it.....I was so infatuated about everything Korean. However when the marriage went south.....I hated everything Korean.
I resisted for years about following Korean drama movies which was all the craze in Hawaii.....I resisted anything Korean for 30+ years. My return to Korean roots began when my 9 year old granddaughter began singing chorus at a nearby college that I also attended. For one concert she sang the all popular Korean song, Ariang. Of course the Korean words were not as I remembered so I started checking on the Internet. That's when I heard the Southern and Northern versions, and I remembered my grandmother singing both versions and dancing and playing the Korean changoo (drum). What was also happening was that I was taking a class in world music and for a week or so we focused on Korean music where the instrumental version of Ariang was played in class. I had tears in my eyes as I sang softly in my heart.
Well...the universe was talking to me....and I'm sure it was a sign that it was time to get back to my roots. Well after my Bollywood fever ran its course.....I shifted to Korean dramas and have been hooked since. I reminisce about my childhood with my grandmother whenever I hear the actors speak. While I don't speak the language....I recognize words that my grandmother spoke. I can remember on weekends I could watch the movies 24 hours straight.....I was really crazed. My friend told me that for the number of hours I spend watching I should be able to speak the language fluently.
The film that got me hooked was called Boys Over Flowers, and my favorite actor, Lee Min Ho was the lead. I would be ashamed to tell you how many times I've watched that movie and every other movie he has acted in. Did you know that in the State of Hawaii, March 21, 2009, was designated as Song Il Gook day....another Korean actor hottie! The good news is that there is a website that one can view Korean films, at no charge.....OMG.....how great is that?
Whereas Bollywood is about romance with song and dance.....with Korean dramas it is all about the food along with romance and drama. Needless to say....I have both my Bollywood favorite actor and my Korean favorite actor on my Facebook page! How giddy and silly it must seem for a woman my age.....but I'll tell you.....I was way too serious and shy in my younger days.....now, I am certainly acting silly and the best part is that I love remembering my grandmother.....playing cards with her and the wonderful food she made.....Kalbi, MunDoo, Daikon Kim Chee, Seasoned Seaweed (Chim), Cold Kook Soo, the different kinds of Jhun she made....Meat, Shrimp and Vegetable....Yum!
It is so much fun rediscovering my roots!
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